Sirli is a teacher in Tallinn 1st boarding school in Estonia.
Tell me about your School
Our school was established in 1923 and in our current building we are since 1963. Our school is very big; there are 234 pupils in 32 classes. To teach the pupils we have 56 teachers. We are called boarding school as some children stay overnight from Monday till Friday. Our school has 3 different levels: a. Pupils who learn as per a bit easier curriculum compared to mainstream schools (I am a teacher of that level)
b. Classes for children with a bit more severe special educational needs. Nursing school
What’s your favourite part of your job?
To see the progress and be part of kids’ joys and sometimes problems too. I love teaching!
Do your Students have any hobbies?
During out of school hours our children are keen to do some sports (pentathlon, swimming, riding) and participating in drama and art and music studios. During summer our children can spend their holiday in old wooden manor house at Riguldi.
What do your students play at lunch time?
Our lunch break is only 20 minutes and during that time they manage only to eat at our canteen. Lunch break is like any other break, but 5 min longer.
Do you have a Christmas play in your school?
This year we are doing X’mas musical. It tells a story how people are preparing for X’mas – cleaning, decorating homes, cooking etc. The play is full of music.
What is Estonia like?
Estonia and Ireland are quite similar. We are as well very close to nature. Estonians are considered to be very serious, but I see around happy people who love to make jokes. Estonia is a small country, in Europe only Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland are smaller. Estonia is quite plain country – our highest peak is in southern part of the country and it is only 317m high. Estonia is rich in islands and lakes – 9% of total square is under islands and 5 % under lakes and rivers.
ESTONIA FACTFILE:
The Republic of Estonia is situated in north-central Europe, one of the Baltic states along the coast of the Baltic sea. Estonia borders the gulf of Finland in the north, Russia in the east, Latvia in the south, the Gulf of Riga in the south-west, and the Baltic sea in the west. Estonia also includes several hundred small islands off the coast. Although the country lies in a northerly position in Europe, it is quite mild because so much of it is bordered by the sea. Much of the interior landscape is lowland, and is characterised by many lakes that were left over from the ice age. Estonia is 50% forest. The capital of Estonia is Tallinn. Estonia is one of the most sparsely populated countries in Europe with a population of 1,332,893(July 2005). The currency is the Estonia kroon; they will join the Euro on January the 1st.
